Welcome to Sunshine Week!

It’s that time of year again — Sunshine Week, when the spotlight is on government transparency. For each of the next five days, we’re going to highlight a bill that would bring immediate transparency to some of the darkest corners of Congress.

Some of these measures are relatively noncontroversial, lots are bipartisan, and not one is over a page in length. So what’s stopping their immediate passage? In many cases, a lack of political will. We hope that highlighting them this week will remind members of Congress that there is a constituency calling for these changes.

You can help by telling your members of Congress that you care about transparency and asking them to support these pieces of legislation.

Presidents don’t stop fundraising once they’re elected. After they’ve become Oval Office occupants, they’re able to raise unlimited amounts of money to finance their presidential libraries. It’s a hole in disclosure requirements that provides ample opportunity for influence peddling and has in the past led to ethical stickiness. Questions about possible quid pro quos in connection with library funds arose during the administrations of both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) have reintroduced their Presidential Library Donation Reform Act this year. Previous versions of the bill have been introduced in at least three prior Congresses. In the 110th and 111th Congresses, a similar bill passed the Democratically controlled House. In 2014, both the House and Senate versions of this bill were passed out of committee but never received a floor vote.

The Presidential Library Donation Reform Act would require quarterly reports to the National Archives listing all donations of more than $200. Reports would be required to include the full amount of each contribution, the address and occupation of the contributor, and the date. In turn, NARA would be required to maintain a database of these contributions that is searchable, sortable, and downloadable.

President Obama, while still a candidate for the presidency, stated support for library donation disclosure. So far, though, he has failed to release detailed information about his own donors. Instead, he has released names of donors and the amount of their gifts in ranges, but no additional identifying information — nor is the data provided in a searchable, downloadable form. It’s a step in the right direction, but still far from the transparency needed the unlimited sums that can be given to these accounts.

Miriam joined the Center in June 2013. She is responsible for developing the Center's legislative and policy information on transparency as well as maintaining its database tracking the personal finances of members of Congress. Prior to joining the Center, Miriam worked for former Sen. Jeff Bingaman and interned at the Congressional Research Service. She has a B.A. in international business and a M.A. in political communication from American University.

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